“After decades of screening potential leaders for charm and charisma, some employers are realizing they’ve been missing one of the most important traits of all: humility.” Thus begins an article by Sue Shellenbarger in an article written for The Wall Street Journal in October 2018. She goes on to say, “Humility is a core quality of leaders who inspire close teamwork, rapid learning and high performance in their teams.”

The entire article is worth a read but here are some key points:

The article cites research supporting the headline and anecdotal reports of companies that now are making the demonstration of humility a key factor in hiring or promotion decisions for leaders. Companies are using personality profiles and the interview process to judge the level of humility in candidates.

Companies with CEOs that demonstrate a high level of humility are said to develop management teams that work more effectively with each other. In general humility in leadership results in lower employee turnover and absenteeism, due to the relationships that are established.

Teams are more effective because of the relationships established. However, leaders with high humility often fly beneath the radar because they are quick to step back and give the credit to the team members. Humble leaders also are not afraid to ask for help and listen to feedback from others. They set an example that causes subordinates to do the same.

Traditional thinking often was that leaders should be charismatic, attention-seeking and persuasive. Instead, those that grab the spotlight can demotivate those around them. As the workplace increasingly moves to team-based work, the advantage of humility in leadership becomes more obvious.

See some of our articles on humility such as Humility and Leadership, Be a Better Leader by Avoiding the Arrogance Trap, and an article that describes the difference between Humility, Confidence, and Arrogance.